UGC asks DU to begin admissions under 3-year program

New Delhi: In a major relief to a section of students aspiring for Delhi University, the University Grants Commission has asked the varsity to start the admission process from Thursday onwards.

UGC, however, has made it clear that the admissions would take place for the three-year UG programme and not FYUP. Admissions were slated to begin on June 24 but were deferred following the stand off between DU and UGC over the Four Year Undergraduate program. 

Earlier, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to hear on an urgent basis the UGC-DU row over the four-year undergraduate program saying it requires an effective hearing which cannot be done by a vacation bench and asked the aggrieved parties to approach it in July after the holidays.

“We understand the situation. The matter requires effective hearing which can’t be done by a vacation bench. There will only be a few days delay. It will be heard by the roster bench in July,” a bench comprising justices Pratibha Rani and V Kameswar Rao said.

The observation was made by the vacation bench before which two cross petitions seeking a final resolution to the conflict between Delhi University and University Grants Commission was listed for hearing.

A PIL by an advocate sought restoration of the earlier pattern of three-year honours courses as directed by UGC, while the other, by a group of students admitted in FYUP last year, is against the commission’s decision.

Senior advocate Meet Malhotra mentioned the matter on behalf of the eight students of Maharaja Agrasen College who are pursuing their four-year course under the FYUP and are in favour of the same, while the PIL seeking scrapping of FYUP and restoration of the earlier three-year program was mentioned by advocate R K Kapoor.

Kapoor has sought a resolution of the “controversy” saying, “Most of the university’s colleges are deferring admissions, leading to confusion among lakhs of aspirants just a day before the admission process was to begin.”
 

He has contended that “FYUP violates the National Education Policy 1986, which advocates the 10+2+3 system, and therefore it is necessary, that DU must revert to the earlier system.”

 

(With PTI inputs)